San Jose Earthquakes

MLS awarded the city of San Jose one of the league's inaugural franchises in 1994 as an evolution of the San Jose-based San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, who passed along their players, staff, and lease at San Jose State University's Spartan Stadium to the newly-created San Jose Clash.

Despite boasting US scoring legend Eric Wynalda - who put in the league's first goal against D.C. United in 1996 - the Clash failed to make the playoffs in their first four seasons. For the 2000 season, the club renamed itself the Earthquakes in honor of the old NASL/WSA franchise that operated in the city from 1974 to 1988, and changed their logo to incorporate a sun, one of the symbols of San Jose.

As the Earthquakes, the team's fortunes improved as they won MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003, as well as the 2005 Supporters' Shield. After their 2005 season, however, the Quakes were moved to Houston to be rebranded as the Dynamo. But professional soccer's hiatus from San Jose was short lived, as the Earthquakes returned in 2008 under new ownership, and with a new purpose to restore the Bay Area's dominance in MLS.